Mosh Pitt
06-07-2008, 12:18 AM
Steelers Team Report
Yahoo! Sports
Jun 6, 1:25 am EDT
Inside Slant
One goal of the Steelers in 2008 is to get to the quarterback more often. Their sacks plunged from 47 on their way to the Super Bowl in 2005 to 39 in 2006 and to 36 last season.
There was nothing wrong with their pass rush in the first half of last season, when they had 25 sacks and a 6-2 record. But over the second half of 2007, they produced just 11 sacks and it may be why they also went 4-4 during that time.
“I do feel like maybe toward the end of the year we weren’t getting to the quarterback as much as we should have,” said defensive end Brett Keisel.
Toward improving those numbers, defensive coordinator LeBeau will move some more pieces around on his chessboard. Last season, the plan was to have Keisel jump around at the line of scrimmage, much the way Adalius Thomas did it when he played in Baltimore. But that did not work quite as planned.
This year, they hope to move outside linebacker James Harrison around more on defense. Harrison made his first Pro Bowl and was picked by his teammates as their MVP after just one season as a starter. He replaced Joey Porter, who often had a free hand to roam a little more. Now, Harrison will get the same kind of green light. Combined with Keisel and the always-on-the-move Troy Polamalu, the Steelers hope they can confuse offenses a little more and create more lanes to the quarterback.
“It should be confusing,” Harrison said. “You’re going to get looks where we’re inverted or we’re both inside. We’re both going to rush, both going to drop. One might rush and one might drop, depending on what the call is.”
Another boost to the pass rush should come from the left, where second-year outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley replaces departed Clark Haggans. Woodley had four sacks even though he played in just 80 of the 933 defensive snaps his rookie season. He added two more sacks in their playoff loss to Jacksonville.
Haggans was a solid linebacker but never did get to the quarterback often enough. He had four sacks last season and always seemed to wear down in the second half of seasons. Counting the playoffs, Woodley’s six sacks ranked third on the team behind James Harrison’s 10 and James Farrior’s 6.5.
“He’s very strong,” Keisel said of Woodley. “I think once he gets more comfortable in our scheme and what he’s doing, he’s just going to be that much better. I definitely expect double digits from him.”
Notes, Quotes
• The Steelers have three more OTAs left—Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday—and then break until training camp.
• DE Brett Keisel believes the helmet receiver provided to the defense next season will get plays in quicker, help them disguise them better and also maybe even be a boost to their pass rush.
“I definitely think that’s going to be a big plus for us,” he said.
Yahoo! Sports
Jun 6, 1:25 am EDT
Inside Slant
One goal of the Steelers in 2008 is to get to the quarterback more often. Their sacks plunged from 47 on their way to the Super Bowl in 2005 to 39 in 2006 and to 36 last season.
There was nothing wrong with their pass rush in the first half of last season, when they had 25 sacks and a 6-2 record. But over the second half of 2007, they produced just 11 sacks and it may be why they also went 4-4 during that time.
“I do feel like maybe toward the end of the year we weren’t getting to the quarterback as much as we should have,” said defensive end Brett Keisel.
Toward improving those numbers, defensive coordinator LeBeau will move some more pieces around on his chessboard. Last season, the plan was to have Keisel jump around at the line of scrimmage, much the way Adalius Thomas did it when he played in Baltimore. But that did not work quite as planned.
This year, they hope to move outside linebacker James Harrison around more on defense. Harrison made his first Pro Bowl and was picked by his teammates as their MVP after just one season as a starter. He replaced Joey Porter, who often had a free hand to roam a little more. Now, Harrison will get the same kind of green light. Combined with Keisel and the always-on-the-move Troy Polamalu, the Steelers hope they can confuse offenses a little more and create more lanes to the quarterback.
“It should be confusing,” Harrison said. “You’re going to get looks where we’re inverted or we’re both inside. We’re both going to rush, both going to drop. One might rush and one might drop, depending on what the call is.”
Another boost to the pass rush should come from the left, where second-year outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley replaces departed Clark Haggans. Woodley had four sacks even though he played in just 80 of the 933 defensive snaps his rookie season. He added two more sacks in their playoff loss to Jacksonville.
Haggans was a solid linebacker but never did get to the quarterback often enough. He had four sacks last season and always seemed to wear down in the second half of seasons. Counting the playoffs, Woodley’s six sacks ranked third on the team behind James Harrison’s 10 and James Farrior’s 6.5.
“He’s very strong,” Keisel said of Woodley. “I think once he gets more comfortable in our scheme and what he’s doing, he’s just going to be that much better. I definitely expect double digits from him.”
Notes, Quotes
• The Steelers have three more OTAs left—Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday—and then break until training camp.
• DE Brett Keisel believes the helmet receiver provided to the defense next season will get plays in quicker, help them disguise them better and also maybe even be a boost to their pass rush.
“I definitely think that’s going to be a big plus for us,” he said.